Anne Arundel County Executive Candidates Go Down To Wire

Anne Arundel County Executive Candidates Go Down To Wire

Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman, her kids, Delegate Cathy Vitale and her husband wave signs at an early voting center in Severna Park. (WBAL's Robert Lang)

Delegate Steve Schuh talks to Dr. Robert Frazier and Andrea Montgomery at their home in Severna Park. (WBAL's Robert Lang)

WBAL's Robert Lang reports on the Republican Primary race for Anne Arundel County Executive. Download This File

Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman talks about early voting and her campaign. Download This File

Delegate Steve Schuh talks about early voting and his campaign for county executive. Download This File

It has been a race where the candidates have traded attacks on tax increases, and their commitment to the Republican Party.

The Republican primary for Anne Arundel County Executive finds incumbent Laura Neuman facing Delegate Steve Schuh, who has served eight years in the State House representing Northern Anne Arundel County.

In February of last year, the Anne Arundel County Council chose Neuman, an economic development officials working in Howard County, to fill out the term of John Leopold, who resigned after being convicted of misconduct. Neuman was the top choice from a field of applicants that included Schuh.

Neuman told WBAL News that she expected the race to be heated, and at times negative.

"I don't think that it's been negative. I think it has been competitive, and the stakes are high," Schuh told WBAL News.

"The Republican county executive of Anne Arundel County will be one of the top Republican officials in this state, and will have a lot to say about the direction of Maryland and Anne Arundel County, in the years to come."

Neuman has criticized Schuh for his support of the state's storm water management fee, also known as the "rain tax."

"I've been opposed to it since it first crossed my desk," Neuman told WBAL News, adding that her opponent has supported it. Neuman also vetoed the county's rain tax, but the county council overrode that veto.

Schuh says what he supported was legislation that allows Anne Arundel County and nine other jurisdictions to establish the tax to fund storm water projects, to reduce water pollution flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.

"That's the bill I voted for, and I continue to support it, because we have to maintain the infrastructure of storm pipes to manage the water flowing into the Bay.," Schuh told WBAL News.

"I do not believe Anne Arundel County should have imposed a new tax to fund it."

He adds the county could have used money in its budget to pay for the storm water improvements.

Schuh has criticized Neuman's record as a Republican, featuring radio commercials with former Governor Bob Ehrlich, noting that Neuman hasn't voted in Republican primaries.

Neuman says that is not true, but she did admit that she did not vote in the last two primaries for county executive.

"I think there was a clear leader in the Republican Party. The opposition was the Democratic candidate. In both of those elections, I did vote for John Leopold in the general election," Neuman told WBAL News.

Although Republicans have held the county executive's office for the last eight years, Democrats have a slight majority in voter registration in Anne Arundel County. According to the Maryland State Board of Elections there are 146,577 registered Democrats and 123,094 registered Republicans.

About 5% of the registered Republicans cast ballots during the eight day early voting period that ended on Thursday.

The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Democrat George Johnson, IV, the former county sheriff, and supervisor of the Department of Natural Resources Police, who is running unopposed in the primary.

Both Neuman and Schuh say they will support the other, if they are the nominee.

"If the citizens of the county want to go in a different directions, if they're not pleased with what they've seen over the last 15 months, I'll respect that.," Neuman told WBAL News.

"I've pledged to Miss Neuman to come together as her numb er one volunteer, if I lose this race," Schuh told WBAL News.